Saying Hello
by Krissby
Summary: Reno discovers just how protective Cloud can be. *One Shot*


**Disclaimer:** Like all of us here, I don't profit whatsoever from this story except for my own personal and imaginative enjoyment and hopefully readers' as well.

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He looked up at the sign awash in the gray, afternoon light and smirked to himself. Not much had changed on the outside; it even looked like the original one that had been obliterated by the plate.

"Aah… sure pisses me off." He muttered with a grin and threw a look over his shoulder at his tall companion. He tapped his shoulder with his baton and sneered.

His companion adjusted his sunglasses and nodded stoically, frowning while looking up at the building himself. Both men knew that it wasn't the bar itself that offended them so, and it was most certainly not the patrons or the owners of the establishment, despite all that had happened. After all, it wasn't _them_ that had pushed _that_ button.

Of all the bars on this continent, the Seventh Heaven was the only one that served decent Corel Ale, which was helpful considering its proximity to their headquarters, but its proprietors were ones to be less desired in his opinion. Except, he supposed, its main owner, the mistress with the shapely breasts and statuesque legs. He would spend every non-working second he had there if it was just her working and serving him to his heart's content. He also knew that his partner wouldn't have a problem with that either.

Looking at the bar from the tops of his eyes, Reno and Rude swaggered towards the Seventh Heaven, tucking away their weapons with no real wish to start any physical fight. They had been beaten multiple times by the combatants inside and weren't really inclined to see how they matched up now from over the years.

"Huh?" Reno's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. He staggered as they walked in, catching sight of the blonde swordsman sitting placidly at the bar. "What are you doing here?!" Other than when they had carried Cloud and Tifa back to the bar from the church, they had never seen Cloud actually inside of the bar. He was always leaving as they came in or in the garage tuning up Fenrir when they visited.

Cloud, utterly relaxed, looked sideways at them and raised an eyebrow, "I live here." He finished off his drink and set it lightly back onto the bar top, looking back up at the woman in front of him with a small, thankful smile.

The said woman returned the gesture and expertly retrieved his glass to wash and set it aside. She threw a greeting over her shoulder as she worked, "Hello, haven't seen you two in a long time. What will it be?"

"A swift kick in the ass, that's what," muttered a deep voice in the booth at the back, answering for them.

"Now, now Barret, these here are _paying_ customers like anyone else," Cid's diplomatic country accent reasoned, while his hand plucked the cigarette from his mouth and ground it into the ash tray, "And we shouldn't be threatening them or nothing," He immediately lit a new cigarette, blowing the smoke towards the ceiling, "till they fuck up, that is. Then we pull their ribs outta their asses." He finished with a menacing and meaningful glare, smiling devilishly.

Reno made an exasperated noise and scratched his neck, "Must you always say things like that when we meet?" He touched his chest mockingly, "It hurts sirs, it hurts… right here."

Cloud met Tifa's rolling eyes and watched as she placed a hand on her hip. "That's enough, all of you." She walked towards them and threw her towel onto the bar, "So, what will it be?"

Rude took a seat at the table closest to the door with a nod and grunt, which Tifa translated to his usual: a scotch on the rocks. Reno however, shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to stand with slumped shoulders, watching with heavy lidded eyes as the bar's mistress moved about getting the other man's drink.

"Say, Tifa…" He drawled, looking at her legs with appreciation as she stood on tip toe to reach the opened bottle of scotch on the top shelf. Cloud began to get out of his seat to help her just before she finally brought it down.

"Hm?"

"What style of martial arts did you say you studied?" He asked, turning his usual smirk into a pleasant smile.

She flashed him a glance as she filled Rude's glass, "Zangan Ryu."

"By Zangan, himself, yeah?" Reno pressed.

"Yes," Tifa smiled warmly, proud of her tutelage.

His smirk returned, "That's a pretty close contact style, right?"

Tifa seemed to give it some thought for a brief moment as she made her way to Rude's table, "Hmm, yeah, I guess. There's a bit of wrestling involved." She set down the scotch in front of the bald man while giving him a smile. Rude sat straight and rigid when she came closer, his mouth pressing into a thin, tight line, and giving her a firm, gruff nod in appreciation. Despite his sunglasses, they all could see how the beautiful woman still affected him.

"Well… I ask because I've been meaning to learn, and well, since he hasn't been seen around for a while… you know… I was thinking you could teach me." Reno grinned at her charmingly, rocking forward onto the balls of his feet.

Cid and Barret shared a look.

Tifa's brow furrowed, "Isn't Rude a martial artist? Couldn't he teach you?"

"Yeeeaahh…" Reno dismissed the idea, and took a couple of steps closer, "but I really want _you_ to teach me." His grin was almost catlike.

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a suspicious look. "And why's that?"

"I just want to better myself, my dear. After all, how else am I supposed to protect my employer and the _darling_ little children with only a stick?"

Tifa crossed her arms over her ample chest, "Rude could- "

"No offense to my associate, but I think that you're _much_ better… equipped." To his credit, he kept his eyes locked onto hers.

Mahogany eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath, "I'm not taking students." She shook her head and started back towards the bar.

"Oh, come on," Reno whined, "How 'bout it Tifa? Whaddya say you and me have a – " Reno's hand reached out to grab her arm as she walked away.

Cloud's eyes narrowed and he moved.

In an instant, Reno suddenly found himself thrown back and the very point of Cloud's sword Tsurugi, pricking the tip of his nose. The Turk's eyes crossed to meet the edge before traveling up the leveled cold steel towards the frigid, hard eyes of the blonde man.

"She said no," His deep voice rumbled, deathly quiet.

Cloud's other arm was wrapped protectively around Tifa's waist, his hand spread across her abdomen. The room's inhabitants held their collective breath as Tifa expelled hers with a sigh.

"Cloud… it's fine. He didn't mean anything by it." Her gentle hand came up to rest on his forearm, corded with the muscles keeping his huge sword steadily pointing at Reno's face.

Cloud looked down at Tifa briefly before enforcing one more glare at Reno and slowly lowering his sword. Her hand came up to rest above his on her stomach and smiled warmly at him, whispering her thanks before turning to the Turks.

"I think it's time that you two should get going." She suggested with a meaningful smile.

"Uh… yeah…" The red head muttered, his hand coming up to rub the speck of blood off his nose. Rude's mouth dropped and his eyebrows rose above his glasses pleadingly, as he looked back and forth between his drink and his partner, before downing it in one swift shot. Eventually he grimaced and backed out, holding the door for his fleeing partner.

"Shit son, I don't think you even moved that fast when Sephiroth was still around… fuck!" Cid exclaimed with a slap on his knee as he leaned on the table.

Cloud's ears turned slightly pink as he looked down at Tifa and rested a hand on her arm. "Sorry… I just… reacted."

She smiled up at him and shook her head, "I understand."

Barret glared at the two of them with his hand wrapped around his whiskey and his other propped on his large knee, contemplating the scene before him with a rather foul expression. "What _I_ can't understand, is why you two have been actin' so… funny, alluva sudden."

"'All of a sudden'? You mean they're not always like this?" Cid asked.

"Hell no, they're weird, but not this weird," Barret replied without taking his eyes off of the two. "Whenever someone, anyone, even so much as looks at Tifa, Cloud already has his hand itchin' towards that damn sword of his."

"Well, that's not so weird. He's always been protective of her." The pilot reclined in his seat and folded his hands behind his head, not bothered in the least that the subjects of their conversation were turning unkind expressions towards the two men. Apparently, he saw nothing wrong with talking loudly of other people as if they weren't even in the room.

"Yeah but, he won't let her do shit now," Barret finally took a glance towards Cid, dismissing Tifa's warning tone.

"Barret..."

"He's always liftin' shit for her, cookin' when it's not even time to eat, swipin' the liquor from her, the both of them always smilin' at each other … it's creepy." He shivered his great shoulders to emphasize his point.

Tifa and Cloud looked at each other, communicating silently with raised eyebrows and tilting heads. Cloud sighed and took his seat back at the bar after giving her arm one last squeeze and trailing his fingers along her abdomen as he turned.

She took a deep breath and looked at the two men watching her. "Barret… it's because of this," Tifa beamed at him and rested a hand on her stomach.

He looked at her, studying her stomach and then her face, "You sick or somethin'?"

Cloud dropped his face into his hand from his seat at the counter.

Cid's cigarette fell from his open mouth, his eyes wide.

Tifa's face suddenly scowled.

"No shit?! Well I'll be! I always knew you fuckers had it in ya! HAHAHA!" Cid howled and retrieved his cigarette, chuckling in glee.

Barret looked at the other older man with a confused glare, "What're ya goin' on about, Cid?"

The blonde pilot merely swept a hand towards the woman in the room and leaned back in his chair again, getting comfortable for the show he knew was about to begin.

Tifa's hands returned to her hips, "I'm pregnant."

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**AN: I never thought I'd write one of these, since I usually don't like ones in which characters get pregnant, but I had an image of Cloud pointing his sword at Reno's face randomly while shopping the other day, and so I needed a scenario, lol. This is just a oneshot, but I may make it into a longer story. What do you think?**


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